Hey, have plans tonight? I’m craving Subway. You hungry?
Already smirking she texted back that she was in the middle ofdoing laundry but that she was hungry. When she was done Xochitl posedthe same question about her plans for the evening since it was Friday night.
Trying not to giggle, Vannah prepped herself to respond. As muchas they had in common one of their biggest differences was what a grump Xochitlcould be compared to Little Miss. Sunshine, as her roommate had dubbedher very early on. Unlike Vannah who was almost always in a laughing mood,there were so many things Xochitl was unnecessarily annoyed by. But it cracked Vannahup how worked up her friend got over said things. She already knew this wouldbe one of them, so she suppressed the smile as she explained.
“I’ll probably meet Matt for dinner. That was him who just textedme.”
Xochitl glanced up from her laptop and peered at Vannah. “He theone who doesn’t like coffee?”
Vannah laughed nodding as she remembered Xochitl’s first reactionwhen she told her about Matt’s aversion to coffee, and the girl had beensuspicious of him ever since. “Vannah, that’s not normal and you know it.”She’d been quick to argue when Vannah asked what the big deal was. “Who doesn’tlike coffee?”
Vannah braced herself for her friend’s reaction this time. “Yeah,he said he’s craving Subway.” Dropping her head back when Xochitl’s mouth fellopen, Vannah laughed even more. “What?”
“Who the hell craves a sandwich on a Friday night?” Vannah fellonto her bed continuing to giggle about her cantankerous roomie’s outburst.
“Seriously, Vannah, he’s a college guy for crying out loud. Sushior a slice a pizza and a beer would be a more normal thing to crave after along week of school. You slap a cold sandwich together when you’re in a hurryor on a budget, but you never crave one. I’m telling you. I don’t trustthis guy. Make sure you take your pepper spray.”
“Oh my God, Xochitl,” Vannah lay there laughing even more.“You’re too much. Take my pepper spray because he’s craving Subway?”
“Just sayin’.” She held her hand up focusing on her laptop screenagain. “He’s been suspect ever since the not liking coffee thing. Now he’stexting a girl he’s trying to impress on a Friday night to say he’s cravingSubway? Who does that?”
The funniest thing about Xochitl’s utter annoyance and suspicionof Matt was that it was absolutely genuine. Just like all the other times shegot unnecessarily worked up over something so trivial. Though hearing Xochitl sayMatt was trying to impress her, took a little from Vannah’s giddy mood.
The one thing Vannah had harped on most when she and her sisterspoke about her going away to college was that she would not be gettingcaught up in a relationship. Unlike her boy-crazy sister, Vannah was determinedto focus on her academics. As far as she was concerned there’d be plenty oftime later for relationships. While she wasn’t opposed to enjoying her collegeyears and having a good time here in there, she wasn’t looking to get involvedin anything or anyone who might distract her from the big picture—accomplishingeverything she was so determined to achieve in the timeline she’d set out forherself.
In hindsight she knew now this was why her insides would tightenup each time she saw Matt’s name on her phone screen. She’d met him the very firstday of school and every conversation she’d had so far was just the opposite ofwhat she meant by having a little fun. His invitation tonight was a perfectexample. Instead of inviting her over for a beer and some pizza at his placewhich might lead to some harmless fun—most importantly—nothing serious.He’d already mentioned not being much of a partyer and he didn’t strike her assomeone who’d be into harmless fun without it resulting in something moreserious. Her sister Nena had already burst into laughter when Vannah hadmentioned having had lunch with her new friend Matt that first week.
“Oh, but you’re not getting caught up with boys, right?” Nena hadteased.
She wasn’t.
Despite the distinct feeling she got from Matt that he was hopingtheir friendship, and their hanging out turned into more. So far, she’d madeherself clear about not wanting to get into anything serious with anyone.Even tonight if he did invite her back to his apartment she’d pass on theinvitation.
Maybe if he was into just the fun thing, she might consider it.He was attractive enough and the more she hung out with him the morecomfortable she felt around him. But that was just the thing. She was certainthings would get awkward should she allow for anything more physical and thenbalk at anything serious emotionally. She just couldn’t allow for suchdistractions. But she could go for a good ole meatball sandwich with a friend,even if it was from Subway.
Three
Insanity
Byron
There was no mistaking it. Here it’d been over a weeksince he’d last heard that sweet laugh at his brother’s signing, almost as longsince he’d even thought about it, and he didn’t even have to look to know itwas her. Before he’d heard it, he’d been standing in the line at Starbucks, asusual lost in thought about things he wished he could just forget about. It’dbeen over a year since his mother’s untimely death and if anything, instead of gettingover it he felt more bitter any time something inadvertently reminded him ofher. The morning had started off like so many others ever since he’d accidentlybeen once again forced to remember. He’d been in as foul a mood as he so often was,yet now the corners of his lips were already twitching upwards in that way that’dbeen so foreign to him for too long.
He’d question whether or not it was actually her but there wassomething too distinct about the sweet laughter that there was just nomistaking. Against his better judgement he glanced in the direction of the laughter.Almost as instantly as he’d started to give into the temptation of possiblytalking to her this time, the idea was squashed. Their eyes
